A record-breaking 68.5 million individuals worldwide have been displaced from their homes as a result of persecution, conflict, or violence. Over 50% are children. When a displacement crisis occurs, aid agencies are equipped to mobilise massive resources in a very short period of time, but the response is often reactive. With the rise in predictive analytics, a new paradigm in humanitarian and development planning becomes possible. Predictive analytics allows agencies to anticipate the onset of a crisis and understand how that crisis will unfold over time.

Throughout 2017, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) supported relief operations in 36 countries to ensure delivery of urgent aid to millions of people in desperate need.

CERF’s 2017 Annual Report, launched today, provides a detailed account of how, during the year, CERF and its partners ensured strategic use of almost $420 million in donor contributions to deliver the highest priority aid, where and when it was need the most.

A new Results Report takes stock of how a US$439 million humanitarian investment from more than 50 donors delivered life-saving assistance to over 22 million people facing the consequences of natural disasters and conflict around the world.

A global fund that provides rapid humanitarian aid for overlooked crises, is marking the second anniversary of the World Humanitarian Summit by sharing the impact of its 4th year, through its new annual report released today.

The Start Fund fills a critical gap in humanitarian financing. It pools funding from donors for immediate release for underfunded small to medium scale crises, spikes in chronic humanitarian crises, and to act in anticipation of impending crises.

Over the past three years, Suma Sherma, a tireless health worker in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, has helped over 100 pregnant women and assisted some 40 births.

Suma works for IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and its local non-governmental organization (NGO) partner, Mukti. The two organizations provide health care to Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis living in Cox’s Bazar through their jointly-run clinics and mobile health teams.

STOCKHOLM – The Swedish Government and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, with Sweden making a historic commitment of approximately US$370 million in flexible funds to WFP over the next four years (2018 to 2021). The contribution is the largest ever made by a donor within a WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation asked 10 aid agencies to name their top priorities for 2018

BOGOTA, Dec 27 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Violence, displacement and hunger will drive record humanitarian needs in 2018, with nearly 136 million people worldwide in need of aid, according to the United Nations.

The U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has appealed for a record $22.5 billion for humanitarian responses across the globe.

2 October 2017 – The number of those needing humanitarian assistance is at its highest since the end of the Second World War – some 145 million people. Several protracted crises in Africa and the Middle East are deteriorating and climate-induced emergencies, sometimes combined with violent conflict, continue to wreak havoc on vulnerable communities. Amid all this, United Nations-coordinated response plans remain severely underfunded.

CERF enables fast, flexible and needs-based support for people affected by humanitarian emergencies. The UN General Assembly established the fund in 2005 to provide timely assistance in crises. Since its operational launch in 2006, CERF has developed a reputation for its ability to kick-start humanitarian action, scale up the response to emergencies and serve as a lifeline for people struggling to survive in the world’s most underfunded crises.

This is the first consolidated presentation of the reported results of CERF funding, covering a full year of CERF allocations. As such, it serves as a pilot and will inform future CERF results reporting. This report was compiled on the basis of information provided by Resident Coordinators/Humanitarian Coordinators (RC/ HCs) and Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs) in 66 consolidated reports covering the results of more than 450 CERF-funded projects.